Cigarette and method of making the same



Nove L i927.

W. J. HAWKINS CIGARETTE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME INV TOR. MM

Filed A1111. 29 1924 A TTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. l, 1927.`

UNITED STATES y 1,647,694 PATENT OFFICE.

WILFORD J'. HAWKINS, OF MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN MA-CHINE .AND EOUNDRY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CIGARETTE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

Application filed August 29, 1924. Serial No. 734,950.

This invention relates to an improved cigarette and method of making thesame. In making cigarettes having fillers of shredded tobacco, it hasheretofore been customary to arrange a mass of tobacco leaves insuperposed condition in a shredding machine, and then slice from themass a series of straight shreds, by means of a reciprocating knifehaving a flat surface and a straight edge, the mass being advanced aboutof an inch between knife reciprocations, so that shreds of this widthare produced. The shreds so produced receive further treatment whichlies outside the range of the present l5 invention but during which theyare separated and then reassembled in a more or less iiufl'y entangledmass.

In open end cigarettes having shredded filler, whether produced by hand,or by machine, methods, the tobacco must so adhere to the paper wrapperthat the tobacco will not fall out thereof. It does this by eX- pandingwithin the wrapper after having been introduced thereinto in a slightlycompressed condition and then released. But in order to effect thisadherence an excess of. tobacco filler or shreds is essential which,

Aotherwise, would not be required. The inclusion of the excess tobaccointerferes somewhat with the free draft that is desirable.

It has now been discovered that a saving of upwards of 10% of thetobacco filler or shreds heretofore required, and improved draft, may beeffected by making the ciga- :15 rette of a wrapped filler containingcrinkly shreds of tobacco, instead of the straight shreds heretoforeused. Crinkly shreds, as

used herein, means shreds having a series of short,artificially-produced, inherent A10 bends or wrinkles. Such a cigarettemay be produced by first cutting tobacco to form crinkly shreds, whichof course are longer than straight-cut shreds and therefore better, andsubsequently forming filler containing such shreds and wrapping saidfiller,

either simultaneously as in, making cigarette* of the continuous rodtype, or consecutively as in making individual cigarettes.

The main object of the present invention is the Aproduction of such acigarette and method of making the same, in order to effect theindustrial economy above indicated, and in order to produce bettercigarettes.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specificationand in which like vcharacters of reference indicate the same or likeparts, Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a part of a shredding machine,the section being taken on the linev 1 1 in Fig. 2 which is a frontelevation of the machine; Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of theslicingknife and ledger plate used in the machine shown in Figs. 1 and2; Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the devices shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 isa cross-sectional view of the parts shown in Figs. 3 and 4; Fig. 6 is aplan view of a mass of superimposed tobacco leaves as placed in theshredding machine, and illustrating two shreds separated from the mass;and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a cigarette made in accordance with`the invention, the same being partly broken away to show the crinkly-cutshreds of the filler within the wrapper.

Referring to the drawings, 8 and 9 are the coacting feed rollers of atobacco shredding machine having a feed throat 10 just ahead of saidrollers. Following the usual practice in the operation of such shreddingmachines, a mass of superposed tobacco leaves 11 is placed in theshredding machine just behind the rollers 8 and 9, and this mass iscompressed and forced through the feed throat 10 at proper intervals,the feeding movements being approximately. 11@ of an inch each.

This shredding machine has a reciprocating knife for slicing the tobaccointo shreds. The knife itself, however, differs-from the flat-surfacedand straight-edged knives heretofore used to shred tobacco. It is shownat 12 as having not a flat surface and a straight edge but a serratedsurface and edge. The surface and edge of such knives may be varied tovary the exact form of the shreds produced thereby. The knife coactswith a .ledger plate 13 having a serrated, or other,

surface corresponding to that of the knife. The plate 13 surrounds thefeed throat 10 through which the mass of tobacco is forced. The knife isreciprocated by means of a crank shaft 14 and connected yoke 15, in theusual manner. The reciprocations occur during the intervals between feedmovements, and the result of each knife operation is the production of ashred which is crinkly-cut without stressing the tobacco, so that theshred will retain its crinkly characteristic during subsequentoperations. It is to be understood that when the knife operates on amass of superposed tobacco leaves, e nloer oi similar shreds will he ontsimultaneously therefrom during each knife operation. Such collocationsot shreds ere shown at itl in Fig. 6.,

' After the tobacco has heen ont into crinhly shreds, it is subjected tothe saine treatment as straight-cut shreds, lont subsequently when thecrinkly-cut shreds are re-assemoled in the filler ot a cigarette, as at317, their form and their entanglement revente them 'from packing asclosel;T es straight-cnt shreds. As a result of the crinklycharacteristic ot the f shreds, as they are entangled inre-asserndecrees 2., .d method of producing cigarettes, con' I sistingin assembling e mass of superposed tohecco leeres, then cuttingtherefrom, on crooked lines crossing the mass, slices ot snperposedcrooked shreds, then separating the crooked shreds, then diderentlyassembling separated crooked shreds to form a dntiy filler, thenencasing the ludy filler in a Wrspper.

3. A method of producing cigarettes, con sisting in assembling andcompressing a mass oi snperposcd tobacco leaves, then cutting from thecompressed mass, on crooked lines crossing the mass, slices ofsuperposed crooked shreds, then separatin the crooked shreds, thendid'erently assemb in the separated crooked shreds to form a indy iller,then encasing the dudy iiller in a Wrapper.

ll. A cigarette comprising a wrapper and en assemblae Within saidWrapper of shreds cnt on crinkbly lines from assembled tobacco leaves,separated, and dierently assembled to form a duy ller.

ln testimony whereof, l have signed my name to this specication,l g

' 4WILFORD J. HWKINS.

titl

